Oxygen Mask Hose Nesting Structure for Compact Aircraft Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oxygen mask assemblies face challenges with voluminous hose packaging and loose clamps during deployment, particularly in compact aircraft spaces, leading to uncontrolled dispersion and inefficiencies in oxygen system installations.
Innovation Solution
The oxygen mask assembly features a hose with axially extending protrusions and slots that allow secure attachment of hose sections, enabling reduced package size and flexible storage configurations through contoured designs such as straight key slot, dove tail, and fir tree key slot arrangements, facilitating easier deployment and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional smooth hose packaging is used, then the hose can be easily manufactured and deployed, but the package size becomes voluminous and clamps become loose during deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is segmented with multiple axially extending protrusions distributed along its length, allowing the hose to be divided into manageable sections that can be securely attached to each other, reducing overall package volume while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The hose sections are designed to nest within each other through the protrusion-slot mechanism, with each section containing protrusions that engage with slots in adjacent sections, creating a compact nested configuration that reduces package size while ensuring secure attachment
2Stability of the object's composition
If clamps are attached to fix hose segments, then hose sections can be secured together, but the clamps become loose and fall to the ground during deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The hose sections perform self-attachment through the protrusion-slot mechanism, where the protrusions on one section automatically engage with the slots on the adjacent section during deployment, eliminating the need for external clamps that require manual attachment and can become loose
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment function previously performed by separate clamps is merged into the hose structure itself through the integrated protrusion-slot system, creating a unified design where the hose sections are inherently connected without external fastening components
3Area of stationary object
If available spaces for oxygen system installations are reduced in new cabin designs, then more cabin space is available for passengers, but the package size for oxygen masks becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The hose packaging transitions from a three-dimensional voluminous configuration to a more compact arrangement by utilizing axial protrusions that engage in radial slots, effectively reorganizing the hose volume along the axial dimension and reducing the overall package footprint for installation in constrained cabin spaces
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A hose (10) that includes a main body portion (1) that defines a lumen (26) extending therethrough and includes an outer surface (1a), at least a first axially extending protrusion (2) extending outwardly from the main body portion, and at least a first axially extending slot (3) defined in the outer surface of the main body portion. The hose defines a hose axis. A portion of the first axially extending protrusion (2) can be secured in a portion of the first axially extending slot (3).